


At Any Cost

by Em555



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Car Chases, F/F, Fugitives on the run, Hurt/Comfort, Peggy being awesome, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-08
Packaged: 2018-04-06 23:13:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4240278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Em555/pseuds/Em555
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set towards end of 1x06. Dottie's mission is to obtain the vile of Captain America’s blood. Peggy is on her way to the Griffith to retrieve it having been found out by her colleagues at the SSR when Dottie knocks her out (sweet dreams) and attempts to get her to give up its location.... Action, adventure, slow(ish) burn Cartinelli, ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Bloody Business

**Author's Note:**

> Other changes:  
> Mr. Jarvis was not caught by SSR  
> Angie's room is in between Dottie and Peggy's at the Griffith (a minor but important detail)

"I'm Agent Carter."

Doesn't sound too bad, perhaps a touch more pretentiousness in the accent...

"Agent Peggy Carter."

Perfect. The British do 'pretentious' so well. It's probably part of their schooling: how to make others feel inferior with a mere ' _hello_ '. Belittle them with a simple ' _good evening_ '. 

But of course it's all an act. 

A compelling act, but an act all the same. I see it for what it is now, but for a long time I believed it and it consumed me. Those fancy women with their perfect accents, their perfect hair, perfect lipstick, perfect clothes. 

'They can do and have anything they want', I thought. And I resented them for it.

But now... Now I see that  _I_  am the one who is truly free. 

Not only can I do and have anything I want. More importantly, I can also  _be_  anybody I want. Even the great Peggy Carter, right down to her favourite shade of lipstick - "Sweet Dreams". 

Oh this will be fun..... 

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Peggy entered the Griffith as quickly as she could manage without conveying the sense of urgency that would draw undue attention to herself. The less witnesses for her colleagues (ex-colleagues now, she mused) to interview when they showed up to arrest her, the better. It was a risk coming back here, but a necessary one - she could not leave without the vile of Steve's blood. If she was honest with herself, she was also hoping to be able to say goodbye to her dear friend, Angie. Though they had not known each other long, the thought of leaving and probably never seeing her again... The idea tugged at her heart in an unfamiliar way, threatening to overwhelm her. 

However.

Steve's blood had to be the priority. National security and all that.

 

Upon reaching the base of the stairs, out of sight of the lobby, Peggy abandoned all pretence of calm. The elegant saunter became a rapid race up the steps, taking two at a time...

"Peggy??"

Peggy cringed inwardly. It was Dottie. She really didn't have time for this.

"Hi, Dottie, sorry, I'm in a bit of a rush."

"Oh, sure, yeah, will I see you at dinner tonight?" 

"Er, not tonight, I've made other arrangements."  _Maintain eye contact,_ Peggy told herself. _Smile._

"Oh, well, in that case, you have a great night Peg."

Peggy went to move past Dottie, exhaling a sigh of relief. However, Dottie was coming in for a friendly embrace so she obliged, hugging her lightly. Peggy made to continue on down the hall but Dottie grabbed her upper arms with surprising strength, pulled her in, and kissed her firmly on the lips.

Peggy's mind fought to catch up with what had just happened.

"Oh!"

She felt shocked but also suddenly woozy. She groaned.

"Oh..."

This didn't feel right. As her sense of weariness increased exponentially she realised what had happened.

"You're .... Wearing my brand."

Dottie, smiling somewhat insanely, gave a slight nod, as if to say "impressed?".

Peggy grabbed Dottie's sleeve and pulled it up, exposing the scars on her wrist. Reddish new scars glared angrily atop deeper old ones. She looked into Dottie's eyes, seeing her clearly for the first time even as her vision faded into darkness. 

 

Peggy had looked down on her colleagues for treating her like a child, for underestimating her abilities. They overlooked her potential, just because she was a woman. Now here she was, completely in the power of her nemesis because Peggy herself had committed the exact same sin...

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Peggy slowly awoke, groggy and disoriented, trying to shake off the effects of the drug. 

A woman's voice spoke from somewhere behind her. It sounded like Dottie... but no. This voice was level and all business, with none of the high-pitched airiness Peggy was used to hearing when Dottie spoke.

"I see... Yes, I can get it before they find us...... I have her here now. It won't take long to get the location."

The room,  _Dottie's_  room, Peggy presumed, was dark and she was lying on something hard. She tried to lift her hands and discovered they were bound together. Attempting to sit up, she realised her legs were too.

"She should be coming to any moment now. I'll call you when it's done."

A dark silhouette moved past her field of vision and suddenly bright lights were shining in her face. She turned her head away and blinked, momentarily blinded.

_Well_ ,  _at least I'm still alive._ She fought tokeep her quickening pulse under control.  _Kidnapped and tied up by some kind of Russian super ninja spy trained in the art of killing since birth? Keep it together, you've been in tighter spots._

"Wake up sleepy head..." Dottie said with faux gentility. "Now, as much as I'd love to draw this out, and believe me I would, your friends at the SSR will probably be here soon to arrest you for treason. Which is actually pretty darn funny." She said with seemingly genuine amusement, a smile dancing across her face. Suddenly her expression turned stone cold. She grabbed Peggy roughly by the shoulders and shoved her up against the wall. "So let's make this quick. Where is Captain America's blood?"

_Well, that explains why I'm not dead yet._

"Steve died in a plane crash in the Arctic. He and his blood are gone."

"Wrong answer."

A fist slammed into Peggy's throat, leaving her gasping for breath.

"I don't have time to mess around Peg, I told you that."

Dottie accentuated her point with a solid left hook, knocking Peggy over and onto the floor. Peggy's mouth began to bleed, the distinctive metallic taste making her slightly nauseous.

_That's going to leave a bruise,_ she thought. _Bloody hell... is that a dead body under the bed??_

"And I told  _you_  it is all gone. You can have some of mine though." She said, sitting up and spitting the blood filling her mouth onto the floor. "It's not quite super soldier quality but it is type O, the universal donor, so that's something."

Dottie laughed mirthlessly and a little knife appeared in her hand from inside her sleeve. She brought her face close to Peggy's and smiled sweetly.

"You know, I used to be so jealous of women like you." She traced her knife slowly, almost affectionately, down Peggy's cheek and along her jawline. 

Peggy fought the urge to flinch away, forcing herself to look straight in Dottie's eyes in a way which, she hoped, came across as defiance.

"I would have done anything to walk like you. Talk like you." Dottie continued, the knife dropping to Peggy's collarbone, slowly, gently, tracing a line on her skin along the top of her shirt, down across the swell of her breasts.

"But now, I can be anybody I want." Dottie laughed. "Maybe I'll be an SSR agent next! What do you think of that?" 

Without warning, the knife plunged into Peggy's thigh causing her to cry out in pain. 

"Shhh, shh, sh. You wouldn't want me to have to deal with any interruptions now would you?" Dottie said, smiling that same terrible smile.

Then Dottie's expression changed, as if an idea had struck her. She twisted the knife ruthlessly. Peggy grimaced, trying to stifle a cry and feeling a tear trail down her cheek. She had a sinking feeling she knew what Dottie had in mind and it made her heart fill with dread.  _No, anything but that!_

Dottie got up, walked across the room, picked up a ceramic vase and hurled it at Peggy. It smashed noisily against her shoulder, small shards cutting her face. Dottie strode over smugly.

"You tell me where you put the vile, and when your nosy little girlfriend comes by, checking up on me, I won't shoot her in the head with my beautiful automatic pistol. How's that sound?"

Peggy felt sick, hoping against hope that Angie had stayed late at the laundromat, that she had gone down to dinner early or that she was taking a nap and was a very heavy sleeper.

"Don't you dare hurt Angie," she said, trying to keep the shake out of her voice, "Or I swear I will make you live to regret it." 

Despite her best efforts, her voice wavered, betraying her fear.

 

**Knock knock**

"Hey, Iowa, everything ok in there?"

Dottie smiled.  _Checkmate_.

"Ok, ok!" Peggy looked at her pleadingly. Any pretence of toughness was gone. "I'll tell you where the blood is, just leave Angie out of it! _Please_."

Dottie's smile broadened. She nodded and walked to the door.

"Angie! Hi! How've you been! Sorry about the noise!" She said chirpily, slipping easily back into her 'Dottie' persona.

"Oh hi! No that's ok, I just thought I heard something smash... You ok Dot?"

Peggy didn't dare move a muscle.  _Please leave, please tell her to leave._

"Oh gosh, silly goose that I am, I knocked a vase onto the floor and it shattered." She opened the door up wider. "Actually, could you maybe help me clean it up?"

_No no no no no!_

"Sure thing."

Angie stepped into the room and her eyes met Peggy's, bloodied and tied on the floor. She barely had time to register what she was seeing before Dottie hit her over the head with the handle of her prized atomic pistol, knocking her out cold.

"Angie!" Peggy cried, trying to get to her injured friend. "You leave her alone!" She screamed at Dottie who sighed impatiently and pointed her fancy pistol at the unconscious form on the floor.

"The blood Peggy. Where is it."

The silence stretched and was broken by Dottie flicking off the safety.

"It's in my room!"

"I searched your room already, stop stalling!" Her finger tugged at the trigger.

"Behind the painting! There is a hole in the wall behind the painting!"

Peggy was feeling a kind of desperate fear she had never felt before. Angie was in harm's way and it was all her fault. She could not let Dottie do anything else to her. She  _would not_.

"The painting! Of course. You're good Peggy, you're good. But I thought you'd be better. I'm going to your room. If the blood is not there, your little friend here bites it." And she left.

Peggy forced herself to take a few deep breaths.  _Keep a cool head. Think. Angie._ She wrestled with her bindings trying to loosen them, but to no avail. Then her hands found a sharp piece of the broken ceramic vase. Ignoring the pain as it cut into her hands, she worked desperately at her bindings.  _Not enough time!_ She heard the door of her apartment closing and footsteps coming quickly back down the hall....

 

The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion. The door started to open. Just before she came into view, Dottie said, "Well this has been fun, but now it's time to - "

Peggy slammed the door on Dottie's arm putting all her weight behind it and hearing a sickening  _crack_ as the arm broke under the force, the gun falling to the floor. 

Dottie yelped in surprise and pain but recovered quickly, kicking the door back into Peggy's face causing Peggy to stagger backwards. Blood trickled into her eyes and she wiped it away. The two women stood, facing each other, each gauging her own injuries, poised and waiting for the other to make a move...

Then they heard the sirens. 

Softly at first, but quickly getting louder.  _Took them long enough._

Dottie hesitated. She wanted to kill Peggy, she really wanted to, and even with a broken arm she thought she could beat her.  _Peggy isn't as good as she thinks she is_. But she wasn't sure she could do it  _and_  escape with the blood before the police showed up.

"What's it going to be Dottie?" Peggy said, having done a similar calculation, though hers included an estimate of how much longer she could stay conscious, what with all the blood she was loosing. It did not fill her with confidence. 

"Try and kill me, or escape with the vile. You can't do both." She bluffed. 

Dottie knew her mission had to come first. She looked at Peggy, frustrated. "This isn't over Peg." Then she took off down the hall.

 

Peggy staggered to the door, closed and locked it. The police would hopefully not come knocking this far down the hall. Besides, there was no way she could make it anywhere else. Her pant leg was saturated with blood from her stab wound and as the adrenaline wore off the pain was becoming excruciating. She knelt beside Angie, her heart racing.  _I'm so sorry I put you in danger Angie! I never should have moved here!_ She felt Angie's pulse, which was strong, thank goodness, and carefully inspected the wound on her head. It wasn't too bad, she would have a headache, but nothing major. Peggy summoned all the strength she had left to pick up Angie and carry her over to the couch. She laid Angie down as gently as she could and held her hand, knowing she would have to figure out what to tell her and fast - she could come to any minute. Could she tell Angie the truth? Or, at least, as much of the truth as she could risk? Most of all, she wanted Angie to know that her bloody business had a noble purpose. And that she would keep her safe, at any cost. 

But keeping her safe meant keeping her at a distance. It broke Peggy's heart.

"Peggy?..."

"Hey, hey Angie. How are you feeling?"

"Mmmm, ok" Angie groaned, then started when she looked at Peggy and remembered what had happened. "Oh my God! English, you're absolutely covered in blood! You need a doctor! Oh my God! Where is Dottie?!"

"No, no it's ok Angie. I'm ok, no doctor, please. And Dottie is gone."

"Gone? Gone as in dead?!!!"

"No, no, no, gone as in left. But she won't be coming back. You're safe now." Peggy put her other hand on Angie's shoulder, trying to calm her rising panic.

There was a thumping on Peggy's door down the hall and they heard cries of "Federal Police! Open up!"

"They're here for me." Peggy said nervously, not sure how Angie would react.

"I knew you didn't work for the telephone company!" Angie said, feeling somewhat triumphant in spite of everything. Her face grew serious. "But you need medical attention, like ten minutes ago! You look like death warmed up!"

"I'll be ok, I just need to see to my leg... Stop the bleeding... Can't leave until it's safe." She felt her consciousness slipping away. "I'm so very sorry Angie, I really didn't mean... for you to get hurt." She was surprised to feel tears streaking down her face. But then, Angie had very nearly been killed, because of her.

"Hey now, look, I'm fine! It's you we need to worry about." Angie got up and helped Peggy take her place on the couch. She brushed the hair gently out of Peggy's eyes.  _She does have the nicest eyes._  Peggy blinked slowly, fighting to stay awake but, nevertheless, acutely aware of Angie's soft fingers lightly brushing over her skin. She focused on that feeling, the pain receding into the background, as her world faded into black.


	2. A Daring Escape

_She was standing on a road overlooking the ocean. Someone familiar put a hand on the small of her back, pointing at the red horizon. In hushed tones she replied —but all the beauty will be wasted, and cut through the red with a knife. A pack of mangy, rabid dogs barked and growled, keeping their distance but watching her intently. She turned and ran down the corridor, water pouring from the cracks, boiling and turning red as it hit the ground. She tried to stop it, but it burned, blistering her skin... It's her blood, you know, not yours. It's all her blood..._

 

Angie heard Peggy awake with a start, arms flailing trying to catch something that wasn't there. She scrambled to kneel beside her friend. "You're ok, English! I've got you, it's ok."

"Angie!..."

"I'm here." She said, caressing Peggy's hair. "You're safe now."

  
Peggy took a few deep, steadying breaths.

"That's... supposed to be my line." But she leaned into the caress and closed her eyes, allowing herself to be comforted in spite of herself. The inexplicably warm, safe feeling she always seemed to have around Angie was overwhelming and she wanted to just give in to it, to stay in that moment forever...  _It's her blood, you know..._  But that was dangerous to even imagine.  There was work to be done.

"So, err, how long have I been out?" She said, sitting up and pretending the pillows needed adjusting, trying to feel like her normal self. 

"About an hour. Does it hurt?" 

Her entire leg felt like it was on fire. "Not really," she lied. Angie had already dealt with more than she should ever have had to.

"I need to get out of here. There is someone I can call, he can help me"

"Let me guess, tall dark and British? You're in no condition to go anywhere but the hospital. I did what I could but I'm pretty sure the majority of your blood is currently outside of your body."

"You have done a wonderful job, I feel well enough to walk. If I can get out undetected my friend can get help without getting me arrested."

"Well good luck with that! 'Whether by force or trickery this building is impenetrable!'" Angie said in her best Ms Fry accent and was rewarded with a smile.

"Yes, so Ms Fry would have us believe. However no building is impenetrable and besides, I'm trying to get out, not in." She thought for a moment. "Hmm, I think I may know of a way that might work..."

 

xxxxxxxxxx

 

Angie opened the door a crack and peeked out. The man on guard in the corridor was trying trying to be inconspicuous (an impossible task given the 'no men above the first floor' rule) but everyone needs to pee eventually. It was only a matter of time.

While they waited, Peggy took a quick look around the room. It was remarkably sparse and almost completely devoid of personal belongings. Had Dottie anticipated needing to make a quick exit? Or perhaps this was simply how she had lived? The only point of interest was the blond dead man under the bed. There was nothing in his pockets to identify him but his shirt bore a symbol that seemed worth looking up later. Peggy grabbed a pen and paper pad from the side table and copied it down as precisely as she could. 

Angie peeked out the door once again.  _At last. "_ All clear!" She whispered, leaving the door ajar and moving to help Peggy up. 

Though she was (somewhat) aware of the gravity of the situation she couldn't help but feel exhilarated by all this cloak and dagger.  She put an arm around Peggy's waist and helped her hobble over to the door. They glanced down the corridor.

"Ready English?"

"Ready." Peggy replied, conveying such strength and confidence with that one word Angie felt her own courage soar.  _I can do this!_  


They hurried as quickly as they could across the hall to the dumb-waiter. Opening the door, Peggy turned.

"Thank you Angie. For everything."

"Don't mention it. I look forward to hearing what this is all about someday."

"Someday." Peggy agreed, smiling at her.

"Take care of yourself."

"You too English."

They came together for a hug, and Angie tried to convey all the things she felt for Peggy in that hug. They would see each other again. They had to.

Footsteps sounded down the hall far to nearby, snapping Angie back to the present.

"Quick!" She shoved Peggy unceremoniously into the pile of dirty laundry and slammed the door shut just as the officer rounded the corner. 

"What are you doing up here?" He said, rather rudely, she thought. 

"Laundry. Obviously." She waved her hand dismissively and pressed the button to send it down. "What are  _you_  doing up here?"

He glanced at the apartment door they had left open and something seemed to click.

"Ah, you must be Dottie Underwood."

Angie hesitated, not wanting to give the man any reason to go into that blood splattered room.

"Um, yeah, that's me. Who's asking?"

"I'm Agent Fielding from the SSR. We are looking for Peggy Carter. Have you seen her?"

"No, Peggy and I aren't close. I only moved in a little while ago. From Iowa." She replied, committing to the lie and subconsciously adopting some Dottie-esqe mannerisms.

"But gee whizz, would you look at the time! I really gotta go. I've got some city tours booked for tonight. Bye!"

"Oh, ok, well if you see Ms Carter be sure to notify the police immediately."

She smiled and nodded vigourously. "Sure thing mister."

She walked over and closed the door to Dottie's apartment. Then, glancing awkwardly at Agent Fielding a couple of times, went down the stairs.

Alone on the stairwell, she released a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding.  _Well that has the potential to blow up in my face,_ she thought.

On the ground floor she found the dumb-waiter and was relieved to see Peggy wasn't in it knocked unconscious by Angie's panicked shove, as she had feared Peggymight be. Nevertheless, she felt a strangely deep sense of loss. Her involvement in the plan ended here. Morosely, she headed into the lobby, glimpsing a car outside that could have belonged to Peggy's British friend.

She was about to wander into the dining area for dinner when she heard male voices and turned to see some men in suits talking to Ms Fry. She eyed them suspiciously, then hesitated, when they turned and eyed her back in the exact same way.  _Oh oh._  Ms Fry pointed at her while still speaking to the men and Angie froze, unsure what to do.  _It'll be fine, just a few basic questions. If it gets tough just cry a little and they'll back off._ Feeling a little better after that self pep-talk she began walking over to meet them like someone with absolutely nothing to hide would do. Then she saw him. The officer she had met upstairs. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart began to race, the combination of which nearly made her pass out.  _They know! How on Earth do I explain this??_ She somehow managed to keep walking but changed her angle slightly so as to head towards the exit instead.  _What am I doing??_ Looking back at the men still walking towards her she picked up her pace a little.  _Don't run, innocent people don't run!_  


She ran. 

She ran as fast as she could, out the door and after the car, hoping against hope it really was Peggy's ride. Once on the street she waved frantically, calling out at the top of her lungs "PEGGY!! PEGGY WAIT!!!!" The car didn't slow down.  _Well this won't look good at my trial._  


Angie glanced behind her, seeing the group of officers in pursuit.  _I'm done for!_  


Then the car suddenly stopped and reversed, narrowly missing a taxi and a parked car to weave in front of her. The door opened and Peggy grabbed her. "Get in!" Angie dove and was pulled into the car, landing on top of Peggy in a tangle of limbs. 

 "GO, GO!!" Peggy yelled at the driver and they sped off up the street, sirens blaring behind them. 

 

xxxxxxxxxxxx

 

They drove madly down the road.

"Car! CAR!!....BICYCLE!! WATCH OUT FOR THE BICYCLE!!!.... WOMAN!!.. WITH PRAM!!! WOMAN WITH PRAM!!!!"

"Thank you Ms Martinelli, but my eyesight is excellent. I truly do not need your assistance in this matter."

"Sorry! Sorry.... OH MY GOD - TRUCK!!!!"

They swerved wildly, narrowly avoiding being t-boned at an intersection.

"In fact, your commentary is actually rather distracting, if I may say so."

"Perhaps you might try closing your eyes Angie? I promise you, Mr Jarvis is an accomplished driver."

"Hmm, yes, ok... Peggy, I think I'm going to be sick."

"We've nearly lost them, try and hold on for just a little bit longer."

They drove on, turning erratically left and right, until the sound of the sirens faded away into the distance. Finally, to Angie's great relief, tall dark and British Mr Jarvis stopped driving like someone with a death wish.

"Well... that's that. I don't believe you two have been properly introduced." Peggy said, as if this whole escapade was the most ordinary thing ever.

"Ms Martinelli, this is Mr Jarvis. Mr Jarvis, Ms Martinelli."

"Oh, call me Angie."

"A pleasure to finally meet you Angie."

"Err, yes, you too."

The whole thing felt quite surreal. How could they both be so extremely British at a time like this?

"So, Angie." Peggy said. "How did you come to be running down the street with all those SSR agents after you?"

Angie recounted the train of events that had lead to this moment, feeling a little silly in retrospect.

"Well, by the sound of it, you couldn't have made yourself look more guilty if you'd tried!" Peggy exclaimed, unable to contain a brief giggle. Then, a sad sigh. "I'm so sorry I got you caught up in all this."

"Oh that's ok. This is the most excitement I've ever had in my entire life!"

In truth, Angie was just so happy to see Peggy again. The fact that she had had to become a fugitive to do it did not seem to matter very much in that light.

"This will all get sorted out soon, I promise. But Dottie stole something... Something very dangerous and valuable." Peggy explained. "Unfortunately, the police are under the mistaken impression that I am a traitor. Going to them will mean wasting precious time trying to make them see the truth, and will probably only end with me being locked up and them throwing away the key, leaving Dottie free to rain destruction down upon us all. So, you see, I have to get it back myself. Hopefully gathering enough evidence of Dottie's guilt in the process to clear my name."

Angie tried to process this information.

"So Dottie?..."

"... Is a highly trained Russian assassin."

"And you?..."

"... Are a Secret Agent of sorts. Loyal to the bone."

"Huh." She paused, looking very serious. "And I'm... a waitress at the laundromat," she finished flatly. 

  
Peggy couldn't help but smile. Angie was too adorable. "A waitress who just saved her friend's life and outwitted a half dozen highly trained agents."

Angie sat up a little straighter at that. "Flatterer. Though you forgot the part about becoming a wanted criminal... You know what? They probably think  _I_  am a Russian assassin super spy!" She said brightly. "I can't wait to tell my mother about this!!"

While having Angie along was not at all the intention, Peggy was glad for her company. Besides, she reasoned, if she succeeded in hunting Dottie down, no harm will have been done. And if she failed, well, Angie was probably safer away from the city's most obvious targets. 

But she wouldn't let it come to that.

"So, how do we find Dottie? I don't suppose she told you where she was going."

"That would have been considerate of her wouldn't it. But no, sadly. I should think the plan will be to take the blood back to Russia. There's not much they can do with it without some kind of high tech laboratory. We may have found a lead, however." Peggy got out the notepad with the hand drawn symbol on it and showed it to Angie and Mr Jarvis. "Have you seen this symbol before?"

Mr Jarvis nodded. "As a matter of fact I have. However, unless the Russians have been using 'Rodney and Sons Clothing Company' as a front for their more nefarious endeavours, I do not think this will help us greatly."

"Oh." Peggy was despondent. Angie stifled a laugh.

"Before we do anything else, English, you need to get patched up properly. That hole in your leg needs stitches." She said forcefully.

"She's right, you do look rather pale. There's a first aid kit in the back, give me a moment to get it, and I shall see to your injuries." Mr Jarvis stopped the car and got out.

"Well you're well prepared. So, err, this happen a lot then does it?" Angie asked casually, but her voice was laced with concern.

"Oh, only every now and then." Peggy replied, trying to play it down. But for some reason she couldn't meet Angie's eye. Instead, she looked down at her hands, at the cuts and dried blood. At least it was her own...  _It's her blood, you know, not yours. It's all her blood_.... Suddenly her hands were thick with it. Her eyes widened in horror as the deep red viscous liquid seeped through her fingers and dripped onto the floor. Her heart began to race and her breathing became erratic.  _No one could have survived this much blood loss! What have I done! Please, please no!! Not again!!_ Panic was edging its way into her soul when she vaguely became aware of hands shaking her shoulders and someone saying her name over and over. As the voice became clearer, the blood covering her hands retreated and Angie's face came into focus. Peggy remembered where she was and the relief she felt was immeasurable. She grabbed Angie and wrapped her in a crushing hug, her eyes prickling as tears threatened to spill. Angie just held her, letting her take as much time as she needed to regain her usually unshakable composure. 

"It's ok English. I've got you."

_What's wrong with me?_

"I'm... sorry, Angie. I... I don't know what came over me."

"Well I do. It's been one hell of a day and you're still short a fair few pints of blood. Give yourself a break!"

  
Peggy was not convinced. "I've been through much worse and have always held it together." 

Angie felt her heart ache at that admission. "You're not invincible you know. It's ok to lean on your friends for support and I am more than happy to oblige."

  
Peggy felt a swell of gratitude but also a strong undercurrent of unease. She  _had_  been through worse. Why was it different this time?

 

Angie got out of the car while Mr Jarvis applied antiseptic and stitched up Peggy's wounds. Peggy did her best impression of a stoic, unflinching warrior. "Thank you Mr Jarvis."

"Of course Ms Carter. We're something of a team you know. You can always count on me."

  
Peggy looked at him, his expression disarmingly sincere. "Yes. I suppose we are."

They had come so far together, and now they had a third member. She just hoped she could keep them both alive. Not only for their sakes but for her own as well. She was only just starting to realise how important these two people were to her. Losing Steve had been hard. She wasn't sure that she could handle losing anyone else.

"Hey, look at this!" Angie came walking excitedly back towards the car, carrying the notepad from Dottie's apartment. She gestured to the page. "Did you see? There's a watermark on the notepad itself. Now is it just me, or does 'The Nevsky Inn Hotel' sound distinctly Russian to you too?" 

"Bravo Ms Martinelli!" Mr Jarvis exclaimed and Peggy smiled at her broadly. 

"That is a solid lead. Well done Angie! That hotel has actually come up during an investigation before, but other things happened and we didn't end up checking it out. This is highly suggestive. All we need now is a plane. Too bad Howard's will have all been confiscated."

"Not, all..." Mr Jarvis said innocently. "There is another vault. Considerably larger than the first."

  
Peggy looked at him and almost had to roll her eyes. 

Trust Howard to have multiple private air ports.


	3. Not Quite Top Gun

 

They selected a mid-sized, robust looking plane. 

Mr Jarvis took the stick, with Peggy and Angie sitting in the back.

Angie watched with fascination as the city went from consisting of momentous individually significant buildings to almost indiscriminate toy sized blocks, all within the space of a few moments. She held Peggy's hand during takeoff (well, crushed was probably a more accurate word), daunted by the sheer impossibility of this large hunk of metal's attempt to defy gravity. But once they reached a steady altitude Peggy's unwavering confidence and reassurances made her feel much better about the whole flying thing. She did not let go of Peggy's hand, however. 

 

The clouds were the best part - they looked like soft fluffy cushions you could jump, play and have the best night's sleep ever on. Angie tried to keep her eyes open the whole time, to imprint the images firmly in her memory. It was her first time in a plane and she wanted to take it all in. Well, all except for the way the vibrations of the engine were making her stomach queasy. That part she was trying very hard to ignore.

During the flight, they chatted about life and while Peggy didn't go into details about much, Angie felt a big piece of the puzzle that was Peggy Carter fall into place. She was clearly so much in her element here, and, absurdly enough, Angie felt more secure and protected than she ever had in her entire life.

The skies were clear as they crossed over into Russia.

 

Some time later, a tiny black dot began to appear on the horizon. The three of them watched with increasing alarm as it slowly grew.

"What are the chances that that is just a friendly joy rider coming over to say hello?" Angie called out to Mr Jarvis over the noise of the engine.

"That would greatly surprise me Ms Martinelli. However, commercial airliners are not unheard of in this airspace so I would peg my hopes on that." Mr Jarvis opened up the com. "Hello there, good flying!"

The receiver played nothing but static.

  
Peggy walked over to the co-pilot seat. "Well this is not promising..."

"Maybe they have the volume down or something?" Angie said, not looking very hopeful.

"Well you never know, but buckle up just in case. This could get ugly."

The plane came nearer still, manoeuvring carefully to position itself behind their tail.

"They appear to be armed, Mr Jarvis." Peggy said, with feeling.

"Oh dear. Are you sure?"

Suddenly, a spray of bullets plinked loudly off the body of the plane. Little flowers bloomed out of the metal where they went through.

"Yes I'm quite sure!"

"Right you are! Hold on to something! Commencing evasive manoeuvres!"

Mr Jarvis swerved the plane sharply up, the attacking plane following in suit, trying to stay on their tail. A deadly dance ensued.

Angie felt her stomach rise and fall unpleasantly with the motion of the plane. Feeling extremely alarmed when the ground appeared where the sky should have been. Every now and then she caught glimpses of the attacking plane and heard the  _pop pop pop_  of gun fire. She decided there and then that she never wanted to set foot in another plane ever again. Then, suddenly, an eerie silence fell.

"Do you see them?" Mr Jarvis asked looking around into sky, trying to see through the few clouds.

"No, there's no sign of them!" Peggy replied.

They waited tensely.

Then, like a terrible bird of prey falling out of the sky to catch an unsuspecting mouse, the plane appeared out of a cloud directly in front of them, guns blazing.

"Duck!"

_Rat-atat-atat_

The plane sprayed them with bullets as it shot past. No one was injured, but smoke started billowing from one of the engines and flames began to lick the cockpit.

Mr Jarvis pulled desperately at the controls. "We're losing altitude! Fast!" 

"Can you save it?" Peggy asked.

"No, I don't believe so."

"Then we'll have to jump. Go and grab a parachute. Angie, you're with me."

Angie didn't move. Unable to tear her eyes away from the smoke, the fire and the rapidly approaching ground.

"Angie!"

No response came.

  
Peggy went and bobbed down in front of her, forcing Angie to look at her instead of the carnage outside. She put her hands on Angie's shoulders. "We have to go now Angie," she said calmly. "Come with me. We'll go together. You'll be fine."

Once again, Angie felt her courage bolstered by Peggy's words and the confidence with which spoke them. She snapped out of her terrified reverie, nodded and let Peggy walk her over to the exit. Angie felt her heart thumping in her chest, eyes growing large as she looked at the ground still so far below, wind whipping her hair.

  
Peggy strapped Angie to her and before Angie had the chance to protest, they were falling through the air. 

It was loud! 

Angie was sure she was screaming but she couldn't hear it over the rush of air past her ears. Her eyes were watering and her mouth was dry but she merely paused for breath then kept on screaming as the ground grew nearer and nearer. Suddenly, she was startled into silence as they were jerked upwards by a massive force, the straps pulling hard against her skin. 

And then they were floating, gently through the air... 

It took Angie a moment to adjust to this change of pace, but once she had, she could only marvel at the feeling. The ground had stopped hurtling towards her at a terrifying speed, instead offering her a grand view of its fields and forests. The air had stopped assaulting her ears, and it became almost peaceful. The wind rushed almost softly over her body and through her hair, giving her a profound sense of freedom. Best of all, now that her terror had abated, she became  acutely aware of Peggy's arms wrapped tightly around her waist and her breasts pressed firmly up against her back. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her whole body felt like it was shaking from the rush of adrenaline. She had never felt so alive. 

All in all, it was the singular most amazing experience of her life.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Peggy tried to land the parachute as gently and gracefully as she could, but with Angie beneath her completely inexperienced in such things, they ended up in a heap; impossibly tangled up in the parachute, the chords and each other. 

Angie took a moment to gather herself, amazed but happy to find she was both still alive and still wrapped in Peggy's arms. She lay there for a moment, just catching her breath and savouring the feeling.

Angie had known from the moment Peggy first walked into the laundromat and asked for a coffee that she was special. Not Secret Agent special of course, just special to  _her_. Angie had always been outgoing and friendly. But, for all that, there were not many people she was really close to. Not many people she  _wanted_  to be close to. It had hurt her, deeply, thinking that Peggy didn't feel the same way. But now, thanks to Dottie, she knew that all those times Peggy had pushed her away, it hadn't been because she didn't like her. It had been because she was trying to protect her. So maybe, just maybe....

Slowly, Angie manoeuvred some stray chords out of the way and turned around to face Peggy. Their faces were so close, Angie could feel Peggy's soft breath brushing her skin. The orange filtered light of the parachute seemed to make her skin glow radiantly and gave everything a surreal, almost magical quality. Angie smiled and Peggy smiled back, face flush, eyes bright, glistening with fire.  _She does feel something for me_ , Angie thought.  _I'm sure of it._  Without giving herself the chance to think twice about it, she brought her hand up and tenderly caressed Peggy's cheek. As her thumb brushed gently downwards, her eyes flicked briefly to Peggy's red lips then back to up her hazel brown eyes. She watched as Peggy's smile slowly faded into something softer, her lips parting slightly as the soft breath on Angie's skin became heavier. Angie's heart was pounding in her chest harder than it had when she was certain she was falling to her death, as she leaned in slowly until their lips met. It was the barest of touches. Her lips danced over Peggy's so sweetly and delicately that Peggy moaned quietly, unable to stop her mouth opening for more...

"Ms Carter, Ms Martinelli? Are you all right in there?"

Mr Jarvis' words broke the spell. They quickly moved apart and begun awkwardly trying to escape from their orange prison.

"Err, yes, thank you Mr Jarvis, we're quite alright. Just a little tangled up is all." Peggy replied, flustered. They struggled a bit more before finally catching a glimpse of sky, and then they were free. Peggy dusted herself off and looked around as if trying to get her bearings. In reality though, she just needed a moment to gather her wits. Her head was spinning. It wasn't so much that Angie had kissed her, but that she had melted into that gentle kiss as though she’d been starving for it. She breathed the cold fresh air deeply into her lungs, trying to push the thought and all it's confusing implications out of her mind. There was still so much at stake.

"Have you any idea where we ended up Mr Jarvis?"

"Some, yes. We didn't have much farther to go when we were shot down. I'd say we are only a  hundred kilo-meters or so away. And, as luck would have it, there seems to be a farmhouse nearby. We should be able to procure a vehicle of some description there."

Angie scoffed. "'Procure a vehicle'? Really? Is that what you British call it?"

"Call what, Ms Martinelli?" Mr Jarvis replied, confused.

"Oh well. I guess 'car theft' will merely be a footnote on my current rap sheet anyway." She went on, resigned.

"Car...  _theft_? Goodness no, whatever do you take me for. I have every intention of paying for it."

Angie looked at him like had gone completely mad. "Oh, right. So are we going to postpone this quest for a few years while we work off the debt as farm hands, or do you just habitually carry a spare few thousand dollars in your wallet?"

"The latter, thankfully. I really don't fancy staying here any longer than necessary."

"Oh." She said, taken aback. "And I suppose you also speak fluent Russian then."

"As a matter of fact, I, err, do." Peggy chipped in, feeling uncharacteristically shy.

Angie looked at her blankly. "So. You speak Russian... And you," she turned to Mr Jarvis, "...are a walking bank." Then she shrugged. "I don't know why I'm surprised. I mean, if this 'car procuring' plan of yours actually works, it wouldn't even rank in the top ten craziest things to happen today."

 

xxxxxxxxxxx

 

A few hours later, they were rattling down the road on a rusty motorcycle with a dodgy little side cart that seemed to be hanging on by some miracle of physics. Mr Jarvis had drawn the short straw and was holding tightly onto the sides of the cart, anxiously watching the coupling jump about precariously. In a reversal of their previous arrangement, Angie was now holding tightly onto Peggy who had some experience riding motorcycles. She had initially tried to keep a little distance between them; what she had done under the parachute seemed so audacious in the cold light of day. And she couldn't tell what Peggy was thinking so she feared the worst. But the seat was sloped such that gravity pulled their bodies together and Peggy rode with such ferocity that she soon abandoned the idea altogether for fear of being thrown off the back. Besides, who was she kidding. She had it bad for Peggy and she knew it. If she was destined to get her heart broken she might as well enjoy her ignorance while she could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> This is my first fanfic and it's been really fun to write.  
> Just fyi I was on holidays but now it's back to work so next chapter won't come as soon as these last couple. Thanks again :)


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